SAN JOSE — Traffic investigators have released a description of a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run collision that killed a San Jose bicyclist earlier this week.

The deadly crash was reported about 3:25 p.m. Monday as 55-year-old Glen Arnold Earnest rode his bike along the Taylor Street overcrossing near Highway 87. Police said he was hit from behind by an eastbound SUV whose driver fled. Earnest died at the scene.

Detectives are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver and vehicle, described as a late-1990s or early 2000s model Dodge Durango or Dodge Dakota, with the color ranging resembling dirty white or light gray or silver.

It was the city’s 19th deadly traffic collision of the year, and the 13th to involve either a bicyclist or pedestrian, which is a higher-than-usual rate than in recent years. Earlier Monday, an 18-year-old man was involved in a DUI crash in South San Jose that killed his 40-year-old passenger.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run case can contact Detective Nqui Scherry at 408-277-4654 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP (7867) or with svcrimestoppers.org.

Robert Salonga is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter covering crime and public safety for The Mercury News. A San Jose native, he attended UCLA and has a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He previously reported in Washington, D.C., Salinas and the East Bay, and is a middling triathlete. Reach him the low-tech way at 408-920-5002.